The three R's, relationships, relationships, relationships: How can teacher-student relationships be more positive and productive in secondary schools?

A positive teacher-student relationship is known to have many benefits for teachers and students alike, such as improving student wellbeing, academic engagement and performance, and school retention rates, reducing incidents of bullying, as well as protecting teachers from burnout and stress. However, there is no clear framework of strategies for starting and maintaining relationships with students, particularly in secondary schools in Australia. This research sought the opinions of students, secondary teachers, parents and school counsellors of what a productive and positive teacher-student relationship was and what they thought were the strategies for teachers to start and maintain such a relationship. These data facilitated the construction of a comprehensive framework, the Student-Teacher and Relationship Formation Framework (STARF), to document strategies for starting and maintaining teacher-student relationships as articulated by key stakeholders.